Fated Meeting
by Sheankelor
Summary: Kunzite takes a vacations and gets more than he bargained for.... Romance.  This story is in my Tainted Gifts universe, and takes place in Crystal Tokyo. Short stories for SMMFFC in livejournal. Rated T just in case. Please let me know if you enjoy!
1. A Vacation

Title: A Vacation -Fated meeting part 1  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou (Prague)  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

A Vacation -Fated meeting part 1

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple. _

Kunzite sank down in the booth and waited for the waitress to hurry up and take his order. It had been a long day of petty meetings, but they were finally over. _'Finally, I get to have a bit of a vacation.'_ Leaning back in his seat he decided he wasn't in that much of a rush. As he waited, he thought about where he wanted to go. All the normal tourist trap destinations percolated through his brain. Prague, Rhine, Paris, London, New York; each one had their own appeal. But, he wasn't sure he wanted the hassle of traveling that far. He kept turning over possiblilties until he felt the presence of the waitress hovering near him. Dragging himself back to the present, he ordered.

------------------

With a camera around his neck and dressed in casual clothes, Kunzite joined the tour heading up the side of Mount Fuji. As he let the information the tour guide was reading flow through the back of his mind, he watched the beauty of the mountain pass by the window. Occasionally, errors and misinformation in the tour guide's monologue snagged his attention, and Kunzite had to restrain himself from correcting him. So much of what the man was saying was based on pure speculation. 

Finally, the bus deposited them up on the mountain side. The tour provided a picnic lunch to all those who wanted it. Kunzite wandered to the far side of the clearing with his lunch. Finding a quiet spot, he settled in hopes that some of the peacefulness would soak into him and calm his frazzled soul.

A few hours later, Kunzite stepped off the tour bus a little calmer, a little more at peace with himself than when he had gotten on. Then, he realized that he had mistakenly exited the bus at the wrong stop. Looking around, he tried to determine how to get back to his hotel.

Suddenly, he heard a soft call thrumming in his bones and pulling him to it. When it stopped, Kunzite looked around, shaken to his core that something could control him like a helpless doll. He found himself standing in the center of a temple's courtyard. People were pouring out of the main temple area, and their conversation drifted to him.

"Priestess Chieko's prayers are so strong." "Yeah. Whenever she prays you can almost here the Earth singing." "I love coming here when Priestess Chieko is in charge of the temple."

A small doubt, a niggling fear, blossomed into a full fledged worry. _'Who is this priestess? I have to check this out. If she is up to no good, if she is using her gift for evil..'_ The memory of Beryl came to the forefront of his mind. Leaving all thoughts of his vacation in the courtyard, Kunzite headed for the main temple.

Under the guise of a worshiper come to mediate, he studied her. The first thing he noticed was her stunning beauty. Her long hair was as black as the night sky, and her eyes looked like melted dark chocolate. Both of these emphasized the paleness of her skin. Kunzite wondered how much time she spent inside. Looking past her surface, he tried to find any taint of darkness. He couldn't find any.

The calmness of the temple soaked its way through him. _'I think I'm going to stay here for awhile and study her. She might be hiding something.'_ Finishing a short prayer, Kunzite went to find the head priest to see if he could be an acolyte for a week.

After a bit of haggling, the priest let him join on a trail basis. Kunzite looked at the broom the old man had shoved into his hand. With the tiniest bit of a smile, he started sweeping. _'At least the old man gave in. I almost had to tell him who I was and make him do so.'_ He swept the leaves off of the main path. _'And I doubt he would have me sweeping the courtyard if he knew who I was. You can hear so much in a courtyard.'_

Chieko watched the newest acolyte sweeping. As she watched the tall, white haired man, she felt something wasn't quite right. Something in his demeanor made her think that he was a powerful person. 


	2. Meditating and answers

Title: Meditating and answers - Fated meeting part 2  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Meditating and answers - Fated Meeting part 2

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple._

Kunzite stepped into the temple to begin his meditation training. The elder priest directed him to his seat near the stone that was the goshintai. The Earth spirit disctracted him as he sat down, but the elderly priest rapped the floor next to him, drawing back his attention. With his attention focused the elder priest, he listen to his instructions. Kunzite was surprised at the last bit of the instructions.

"You might not feel anything the first time you meditate. It takes some time to come in tune with the spirits."

Kunzite tried to keep the incredulous look off his face. The spirit was practically singing to him, and some people might not be able to feel it?

"Begin."

Kunzite let himself drop down into the meditative state. The spirit sung even louder to him. He felt a pull exactly like the one which had geased him and brought him to this temple. Warily, Kunzite let his mind follow the pull.

He was standing in a large, rock strewn glade. Turning quickly to see what was behind him, Kunzite felt the pull of his cloak, and his sword tapped against his leg. Realizing he was no longer in disguise, he stood still, watching the scenery around him. Slowly, the very rocks seemed to move. When they stopped, a human-like shape was watching him. Kunzite recognized it as the shrine's spirit. _'I've traveled into the spirit realm. I wonder why?'_

Bowing to the spirit, he addressed it. "Why have you brought me here, elder one?"

In a gravelly voice, it answered. "To thank you for the honour of coming to my temple. Never has one of the four high lords come to pray here."

"You are welcome. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"I am called Okuninushi. I sense that you are searching for something. May I help you find it?"

Kunzite studied the spirit, before speaking again. "I am not searching for something physical. I came because the priestess, the one called Chieko. She is a strong power for either the light or the dark. I am here to determine which one it is."

"The child is steeped in the light. The same light that surrounds you."

Kunzite wasn't sure about calling her a child. She didn't look like one to him. _'But coming from a spirit that is as old as the Earth... I guess I'm a child as well.'_ Okuninushi's words reassured him. _'So, she is not a threat.'_ Then, another question sprang to his mind.

"Did you call me to the temple? I originally came here because of a strong call."

Okuninushi studied him before he answered. "I felt someone in need of healing, and so I called them to the temple. Most people ignore my call. They just continue past. But this one came. It was you?" The spirit looked a little closer. "It was you. What is troubling you? What has hurt you?" The gravelly voice sounded concerned.

Kunzite felt a touch of surprise. "I'm just tired."

The ancient stone eyes gentled. "Then rest, my Lord. You shall be safe in my domain. I shall guard you on every inch of my temple grounds, and as far as I can reach off of them."

Kunzite drew himself up, and in his most diplomatic voice he accepted. 


	3. Tied by Fate

Title: Tied by Fate - Fated meeting part 3  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Tied by Fate - Fated Meeting part 3

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple. _

The elder priest watched the newest acolyte as he started meditating. After ten minutes, he tried to bring him out, but the white haired man would not wake. Without a second thought, he called for Chieko. She was always able to wake the ones that had fled too far.

Chieko sank down next to the man she had to go find. Resting her hand on his, she found and followed the path he had taken.

She was surprised when the mists solidified into a stand of trees and a large glade. She backed into the trees, trying to determine what was happening. Looking out into the glade was the man she had come to find, but he didn't appear lost. He appeared to be talking to a tall rock spirit. _'That is our spirit! I am in the presence of an Earth spirit. And the acolyte doesn't seem out of place at all. Who is he?'_ She tried to hear what they were talking about, but she was too far away to make any sense out of the rumbling tones. She was close enough, however, to see the respect the spirit had for the man.

_'I should go. I shouldn't be here spying on him. I should either make my presence known, or leave.'_ Reaching down, she carefully removed the branches that were clinging to her chihaya. That was when it dawned on her that the acolyte was dressed differently. Without another thought, she entered the glade.

Kunzite spun about quickly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Even though the spirit had offered to protect him, Kunzite felt the need to guard this embodiment of his home. His eyes widened as he saw Chieko walk out of the woods. "How did you come here?" He cast a glance back at Okuninushi.

Chieko stopped. "You have been gone for a while and the elder could not wake you up. So he sent me here to lead you back."

Kunzite studied her for a moment, weighing her words. Finally he accepted what she had spoken as the truth. He bowed slightly towards her. "Thank you." 

Chieko felt surprised at his lack of awe as he turned back around to speak with the spirit. _'He acts like it is an everyday thing to speak with such powerful creatures.'_

Kunzite bowed towards Okuninushi. "Thank you for your hospitality. I should be leaving now."

Okuninushi acknowledged his bow, and then his words."Until later, Lord Kunzite." Then he looked at the waiting priestess. "And I hope to see you again as well Priestess Chieko."

_'He knows my name...and what did he call the acolyte? Lord Kunzite? The Lord Kunzite...Can't be.'_ Feeling flustered, Chieko quickly acknowledged the spirit and then took a hold of Kunzite's hand. As her fingers curled about his, a ribbon that was all shades of red appeared, binding the two hands together. Chieko didn't notice as she had turned about, but Kunzite stared at it like it was a snake.

_'Why now? There is no hope for us. No future.'_ Kunzite allowed her to lead him back. 

Chieko opened her eyes as she awakened from her trance. The first thing she saw was her hand resting on his, and overlying them she noticed the ribbon. Raising her startled eyes to look at the man fate tied her to, she had the impression of a long cloak and a uniform like the one he had worn in the spirit's realm. Then all of it faded away, and she was left staring at an acolyte. Snatching her hand away, she fought the urge to run.

The elder smiled at her. "Thank you, Priestess Chieko. You have saved another lost soul."

Taking that as a dismissal, Chieko retreated. 

--------------------------------------

Over the course of the week, Kunzite watched her. He was aching to tell her every thing, to explain how it was all impossible. She had her duty to the temple, and he to the King. And try as he might, he could find no way to have the two duties accomplished in the same place. As time went by, he felt fate's ribbon tightening, but it felt like it was around his neck, not his heart.

Chieko watched him when no one else was looking. The more she watched him receive orders, and follow them without any haughty attitude, the more she felt she had heard the spirit wrong. _'This can't be one of the King Endymion's court. Why would one of them stoop low enough to sweep the courtyard of an out of the way temple?'_ Feeling a little better, she unconsciously stroked the place where she had seen the ribbon. 


	4. Finally Found

Title: Finally found - Fated meeting part 4  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou (cliche)  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Finally found - Fated meeting part 4

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple. Okuninushi - an Earth Kami_

Kunzite settled down to meditate. Letting the world fall away, he walked the path into the heart of the stone. As he walked, he felt himself shedding the clothes he was wearing, and his uniform taking their place. When he had reached the center, he was once again Lord Kunzite.

The spirit marked his coming, and waited patiently for his arrival. When the high lord did arrive, Okuninushi offered him a seat. "I brought you here to heal, to rest, and yet you leave here hurting. I am sorry to have caused you this pain."

Kunzite shook his head in disagreement. He looked at the spirit that he had come to trust almost as much as Mamoru. To his surprise, he was able to speak even freer with it than he was able to with his King. "I am glad to have met her. My heart rejoices in that. Do you know if she has been there all my past lives, and I never found her? Has she been waiting that long?"

The ancient eyes studied the old soul sitting in front of him. He followed the ties that bound the man to his past lives. Tracing them, seeing all that he already knew of Kunzite's past, he spotted the presence of the priestess that was sworn to him. She was always near him in all of his lives, but never seen. When Okuninushi refocused on Kunzite, he caught a glimpse of the priestess near by, and heading this way. "She has been." 

Chieko entered the glade making sure not to linger near the edges. She did not want to eavesdrop on them. Kunzite looked up as she entered. Smiling at him, she felt her heart skip a beat when he returned it. "The elder wishes to speak to you. So he asked me to retrieve you."

Kunzite looked down at her proffered hand, and contemplated taking it. _'This is so cliche. The one I love, I can't.. and yet here she is to save me.. to guide me.. offering me her hand... I won't take her up on that offer. No need to tie our souls closer together, all that will bring is more pain.'_ He bid his host farewell, and then, widening his smile to take the sting out of his words, he spoke. "I know my way out this time. Shall we go?" He gestured her to walk with him.

Upon awakening, Kunzite was dragged off by the head priest, and spent the next hour trying not to explain why he couldn't stay at the temple and continue his studies. When he was finally able to escape, Kunzite went to find Chieko. He couldn't leave without saying goodbye.

He found her in one of the temple gardens. Kunzite slowly approached her, trying to pick out the words he wanted to say. Just goodbye didn't seem quite right. "Chieko."

Chieko spun about. She felt her heart stop when she saw his face. Something bad was going to happen. She had been worrying about that since he wouldn't hold her hand earlier. So she waited, saying nothing.

Kunzite continued. He knew there was no way to sugar coat what he had to say, so he tried to make it as diplomatic as possible. "It is time for me to leave. Thank you for all the times you tracked me down and .." With a slight smile he continued. ".. saved me. I am most appreciative." He watched her face, hoping for any sign of her thoughts.

Chieko's thoughts ran in circles, chasing each other. He was leaving. The one she was fated to love was leaving her. Dragging up her courage, she let her thoughts out. "Why?" She stepped closer to him, resting her hand on his arm. "Why are you leaving? You know that we are bound together. I know you have seen the red string of fate that has tied us to each other. Why... Why are you leaving me?" Chieko finally looked into his cool gray eyes, hoping for understanding.

Her hand was branding his arm, as much as her questions were branding his heart. The plea, the pain in her voice almost made him change his mind. _'She has been waiting for so long. This isn't fair!'_ As much as he longed to rage at the bonds that held him, he knew it was useless. Duty called both of them._'Duty...'_

"Duty. You know who I am. You have heard Okuninushi call me by name. I can't forsake my duty and neither can you. You have a duty to this temple." Even as he spoke he felt the ribbon tightening even more around his neck. 

There was nothing more to say. Both stood looking at each other, thinking of all the might of beens. The ground rolled under their feet, bringing them together. As they tumbled into each other, their lips met. The start of the kiss was an accident, but the continuation of it wasn't. Kunzite finally raised his head, and stared down into the dark chocolate eyes staring up into his. At that moment he felt ready to forget everything else but the promise held in those eyes. But reality called, or at least the elder priest did. Separating slowly, Kunzite bowed to her and then left.


	5. Follow

Title: Follow - Fated meeting part 5  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou ("Don't follow titles, follow courage)  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Follow - Fated meeting part 5 

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple. _

Chieko sat in the glade at the heart of the goshintai. She wasn't sure why she had come there. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of Kunzite. The light glinting off his white hair, the way he gestured as he talked. 

Sighing, she stood up to leave. As she started to walk the path back to the temple she heard a gravelly voice speak.

"Don't worry about the title. Follow him."

Without turning back, she answered. "He will think I am trying to get his title."

"Are you?"

She spun about, and barely kept herself from glaring at the spirit. "I don't care about titles!"

"Then don't follow titles, follow courage. He has plenty of that. He has faced more trial and tribulations, seen more destruction and death than anyone ought. You are tied to him. Fate has link your soul to his, all you need is the courage to follow." Okuninushi patiently waited for her answer.

Chieko sank back to the ground as she looked into her heart. She knew she loved him. She loved him as a man though, not because he was Lord Kunzite. Somehow she was sure that he would know that and be happier that way. In a firm voice, she answered the spirit's unspoken question. "I'll follow."

The small rocks that made up Okuninushi mouth formed a smile. "Then give him this. He will understand." A cloak appeared on the ground near her feet. As she picked it up, it continued. "You will find him in Crystal Tokyo." Reaching down, the spirit picked up one of the numerous small rocks and handed it to Chieko. "And this is for you, my priestess. It is a part of me. Where ever you place this stone will be come a shrine to me."

Chieko curled her hand around the fist size rock. With a grateful smile, she thanked him.

Blinking her eyes, Chieko came out of her meditative trance. She felt a weight in her hand, and cloth draped over her legs. Reverently she picked up the shimmering white cloak, and stared at it and the stone. Deep in her heart she knew it was time to go.

----------------------------

There was ruckus at the gates. Kunzite looked out the window towards them. Someone was being escorted into the palace. Kunzite squinted a little to see who was bringing the unexpected guests in. _'Rei, not Sailor Mars...but Rei? No wonder there was a ruckus.'_ He could imagine the difficulties of getting a guest clearance onto the castle grounds, and not letting the guest know who she was. Deciding to find out who the guest was, he headed out to meet them. 


	6. Fates Promise

Title: Fates promise - Fated meeting part 6  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Shitennou  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Fates promise - Fated meeting part 6

_AN: Goshintai - the sacred body of the kami  
A chihaya is the Miko outfit like Rei wears at the temple. _

Rei glanced at the priestess walking beside her. Peacefulness seemed to radiate from her. It had even affected the gate guards, and made the process of getting them inside easier. The lady practically shrieked _Earth_ to Rei's senses.

The peacefulness was what had caught Rei's attention while she was out shopping. Chieko had been walking down the street, dressed in a chihaya, asking directions to the palace. And when the priestess approached her, Rei asked her why she need to get to the palace. The lady had held up a folded shimmering cloak. "I need to return this to Lord Kunzite."

After studying her for a moment, Rei realized that the lady had been studying her as well. The lady had then smiled at her. "I am Cheiko of the Fujiyama Temple. Lord Kunzite recently stayed there for a short while."

_'So that is where he spent his vacation!'_ Smiling back, Rei introduced herself. "I am Rei Hino."

Chieko raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about the lack of title. Though she wondered, since she could clearly sense that the lady was surrounded with the power of fire.

That was how Rei ended up escorting her to the castle, and she had even planned on helping her find Kunzite. But that was thwarted. Kunzite was walking down into the courtyard.

Chieko felt her heart stop and then speed up when she saw him coming. Every doubt flew into her mind. If it wasn't for Rei, she was sure she would have run away. Then his eyes met hers, and she couldn't move.

Kunzite spotted Rei as he walked into the courtyard. Glancing to her right, he felt poleaxed. _'What is she doing here?'_ His eyes searched hers, trying to find the answer. Pulling himself together, he continued walking towards them. "Priestess Chieko, what has brought you all this way?" He was surprised at how casual his voice sounded.

The sound of his voice released Chieko. Holding up the folded cloak, she put all her faith in Okuninushi. "I have brought this to you. It was at the temple."

Kunzite stared at the cloak. He knew there was no way he could have left one there. Looking at her, he accepted it as a reason to come. "Thank you. Will you please come in for some refreshments?" Chieko accepted. As they headed in for tea, both of them knew that the conversation would be the most important one they would ever hold. It was time for compromises and promises.

As they walked in together, Rei watched and wondered.


	7. Acceptance

Title: Acceptance - Fated meeting part 7  
Author: Ree  
Theme: Post-series (George Bernard Shaw quote)  
Genre: General  
Version: Manga/Anime Crystal Tokyo  
Rating: G

Takeuchi Naoko had the wonderful imagination to create these gentlemen and their companions. I've just decided to borrow their look alike doubles and give them scripts. 

Acceptance - Fated meeting part 7

Chieko settled onto the seat that Kunzite offered her. As she accepted her tea, she could tell that he was looking for a way to send her home.

"I... I" Kunzite took a sip of his tea. "I'm not the person that you probably think I am."

Chieko examined him over her tea cup briefly before answering. "I think you are Kunzite. You are the man that fate has tied me too, but more importantly, you are the one I have chosen to follow."

Kunzite snorted. "I am Kunzite, that is true. But I'm not the perfect person that everyone portrays me as." In an sad, reflective voice he continued. "I have made many mistakes."

Chieko studied him for a moment. That last sentence and the tone were hiding a tale, and it sounded like one that he wasn't proud of. "Mistakes are part of life. If you didn't make them then you weren't living, you were just watching as life went by. Some mistakes can even be honourable."

The memory of Beryl and all the destruction he caused at her command flitted through his mind. "Not all are honourable."

Setting her tea cup down, Chieko started slowly pacing around the room. "No one is perfect. Everybody has made mistakes sometime." Looking back at him, she flashed a derogatory smile. "Especially myself." Kunzite started to frown. "I'm not trying to belittle the mistakes you made, nor am I trying to say mine are worse. I just..." Her voice trailed off as she walked up to him. Placing a hand on his arm, she continued. "I just want you to understand that the past is past. Especially if the mistakes happened before the Time of Destruction and Great Sleep. "

A look of surprise flitted across his face. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" Fear sank into his belly. If she knew, he was sure she would really leave.

Looking down into his eyes, Chieko saw his fear. It made her feel not so afraid herself. "I know we are more alike than you know. We have both betrayed family and friends. We have hurt the ones we care about the most. You, at least, have been able to restore that bond." 

Removing her fingers from his arm, she walked over to the window and gazed out it. She didn't see the courtyard with all the bustling people. Instead she saw her parent's face as she defied them, as they practically disowned her. They did everything but actually say the words. All because she wanted to become a priestess instead of being a shrine maiden.

Kunzite watched as her shoulders stiffened. _'She's right. I have been able to restore that bond, and no one really knows what happened so long ago. I wonder how she knows. I wonder what happened to her.'_ He followed her across the room and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe you can heal your bond, too." Chieko mutely shook her head no. "You never know unless you try."

Closing her eyes, she let the warmth of his hands eat the tension out of her shoulders. She fought to keep the bitterness out of her voice, but failed. "They said I couldn't come back unless I gave up being a priestess. It was okay for me to be a shrine maiden, but not any higher. No matter what I felt, or how much I was called."

Kunzite was surprised at that type of thinking in this day and age. Neo-Queen Serenity and the senshi were all obviously women of power. Why would someone try and prevent their daughter from becoming what she was called to be? "Then they are the ones that made the mistake, not you. You answered the call that was pulling you. And if you must call that a mistake, then it is definitely an honourable one."

Turning around, she looked up into the silver-gray eyes that looked so concerned. "Then, if my mistakes are honourable and yours are the memory of long dead people, with a few notable exceptions, can we let them loose their power over us? Can we accept each other and ourselves as we stand here, right now?"

Kunzite felt as if her words were tearing at him. They were trying to rip away a part of himself that he hid away and only brought out when he need to be reminded that he had a dark side. Growling, he flung himself away from her. Standing with his back towards her, he clenched his hands into the back of a chair.

Chieko watched him go. She knew that her words had touched a sore spot, one she was sure needed to be healed, one she wasn't sure could be healed.

_'She doesn't know. How could she? She wasn't even around then. She has no idea what she would be accepting, unless I tell her.'_ Between clenched teeth, Kunzite grated out his tale. He blackened his name, tarnished his image. He told her all the hated things, and the names he called himself in the dark when no one else was there. It poured out of him like a water from behind a broken dam.

Chieko stood still as the tale of betrayal and loss flowed about her. It buffeted her, parts of it repulsed her, but she refused to let it wash her away. She thought to go to him, but something told her to stand still.

As the last of the tale flowed out of him, Kunzite felt himself shaking. Turning slightly, leaving one hand on the chair for support, he looked to where Chieko had stood, fully expecting her to have fled. When he saw her, he had the impression of a rock battered by a storm, but unmoved. He watched her, waiting.

Chieko caught the vulnerable expression that was quickly hidden. Responding to an inner prompting, she walked to him and placed her hand on his. Looking him straight in the eyes, she decided to brave his wrath. "It's over. That is all in the past. You have been forgiven by everyone else. You need to forgive yourself." His face tightened in denial. "And even if you don't, I accept you as you are." Standing on her tip toes, she kissed him lightly.

When the kiss ended, Kunzite looked down into her accepting eyes. She knew everything, all the things that he had done that no one else knew. And she wasn't repulsed, she wasn't running. _'Far from running, she kissed me.'_ He felt as if her kiss, her acceptance, was healing the old, festering wound. _'But what if she changes her mind? What if tomorrow she decides it is too much? That she can't look at me?'_ The thought hurt more than he expected. _'But I wouldn't blame her. Sometimes, I can't face myself in the mirror.'_

Chieko watched the play of emotions that ran across his face. Each one telling the tale of his thought. She wanted to interrupt, but she wasn't sure what she would say.

Finally, he spoke. "Right now you can accept me." She nodded her head yes, but he continued before she could speak. "But tomorrow that might change." The denial in her eyes buoyed up his soul. He was actually able to smile tenderly. "You won't know until tomorrow. So, meet me tomorrow at the Hikawa shrine and let me know if you can still accept me."

Chieko understood what he meant. She even could explain his reasoning, but she knew that a day wouldn't change how she felt. _'But I'll honour his request.'_ She returned his tender smile. "I'll meet you there right before lunch time, okay?"

He nodded his agreeance. 

Kunzite bounced between dread and happiness as he walked up the steps to the shrine. Half the time he thought she wouldn't even meet him, the other half the time he was sure that she would accept him. As he came to the top of the stairs, his heart plummeted. She was not in the courtyard. Pulling himself together, he went to look for her.

Chieko felt him the moment he arrived. She bowed and left the temple area in search of him.

Kunzite was walking up the steps to the temple proper when he saw her coming out. His heart bounced back to its normal spot. Then she smiled at him and he knew what her answer would be.

"Chieko."

"Kunzite" She could quite bring herself to call him Lord Kunzite.

Kunzite raised an eyebrow at the missing title, but let it pass. He gestured for her to join him. They strolled the paths of the temple's garden until they reached a private spot. Turning to face her, he awaited his answer.

Chieko looked up at him. She would be lying if she tried to tell him that some of what he had said didn't bother her. Parts of it gave her nightmares last night. But as she looked into that stern, gentle face, she knew that it was the past. Catching his eyes, she gave her answer to his unspoken question in a soft, clear voice. "I still accept you. And I don't think it will change." She felt as if the red-string of fate was tightening around them, tying them together even closer than before.

Kunzite looked down into her soft, knowing but accepting, brown eyes. _'According to Okuninushi we have missed each other for many lifetimes. This time we will be together.'_ With a smile that came from his heart, he kissed her.


End file.
